As Close as She Was Going to Get
by FarSideOfTheRoom
Summary: What happens when Hermione's crush's crush starts crushing on her? Unrequited HG/RW.


A/N: Okay, so prepare yourself, because this one's a little out there. I thought of it in math class, when I was looking at two very attractive boys, thinking, hmm, what if I liked one of them? And he likes boys, what if he liked the other one? And what if the other one liked me? But the first one is my best friend, could I do that to him? And thus a fanfiction was created. Ron's kind of out of character, and he likes dudes, and is friends with Krum, but whatever. Oh yeah, he likes dudes, if that weirds you out, don't read, don't complain.

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, they're J.K. Rowling's.

As Close as She Was Going to Get

"Do you know what I mean, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at Ron. Did she know what he meant? Did she know what it felt like to have to look at the object of your affections every day, knowing there was no chance they would like you? What it felt like to have him talk to you about how he liked someone? To experience feelings similar to putting a cake in front of a starving person and telling them not to eat it; to be able to look at it, and smell it, but not be able to eat it? Okay, well, Ron hadn't said that, but it was how Hermione felt.

"Hermione?" Ron asked softly.

With a bitter tone of voice, perhaps a little stronger than she had intended to use, Hermione responded, "Yes, I do."

Hermione gathered up her books and prepared to go to her sanctuary, the library.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron called after her.

She turned around to see a slightly torn looking Ron staring at her.

"You're going to the library, right?"  
Hermione nodded.

"Well, he's typically in there. I know you might not want to talk to him, but he's really a great guy, and it would make me feel better if you two got on, I know nothing would ever happen between me and… well…" Ron's voice trailed off, but Hermione knew what he was talking about. He was asking her if she would talk to Victor Krum. He wanted them to get on well. Why, she didn't really have any idea. Krum didn't swing that way, that Hermione and Ron were sure of. But he and Ron were friends. But the thing of it was, Hermione and Krum weren't. She actually had never spoken to that pompous, fan-girl-attention-grabbing Bulgarian seeker in her life, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to start. But she took one look in Ron's sad pleading face, and the expression of imploring desire in his blue eyes and reluctantly she said yes. Ron smiled and returned to his Divination homework he was fudging his way through.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, turning and walking out of the common room. She walked through the mostly empty corridors, library-bound.

When she got there, she was not surprised to see Krum and his fan girls there. She ignored them and merely spread out her runes homework and began working diligently.

She had gotten so involved in her runes essay, she didn't notice the tall, Bulgarian seeker take a seat opposite her. She looked up from her essay to find another book and jumped when she saw Krum sitting opposite her.

"I hope I did not frighten you," he said, looking at her with his intense dark eyes.

"No, you just startled me, that's all," Hermione responded, quite flustered, being this close to the object of the affections of the object of her affections.

"Can I help you?" Hermione asked coldly after a long silence. She wasn't comfortable being around Krum.

"I only vish to sit her. My followers, vere, vell, following me, and I had hoped that if they saw me vith another girl they vould leave me alone. Is that alright?"

Hermione looked at him. She supposed she could let him sit there and it wouldn't make much difference. She didn't have to talk to him. She could just let him sit there.

"That's fine," Hermione responded, and returned to her runes essay, as to indicate the conversation was over. A few hours later, once Hermione had finished her homework, she packed up her books, stood, and swung her bag over her shoulder.

"It vas nice to talk to you, Herm-o-ninny," Krum said, not looking up from his book.

She walked away, shaking her head at the encounter. When she reached the common room, it was considerably more full than before. Ron was still sitting at the same table. He was still writing on the battered piece of parchment on which his divination homework had been written, stuffed in his bag, and re-worked. His red hair was hanging in his face. Harry was missing; she assumed he was busy working up the nerve to ask Cho to the ball. Hermione walked over to Ron and sat down. He looked up at her.

"Did you see him?" Ron asked simply.

"He... he wasn't there," Hermione responded, not wanting more prompting to talk to the Bulgarian.

Ron's face fell slightly.

"Oh, alright. Well, maybe another time you could talk to him. He's really a great guy, Hermione," Ron pressed.

"Lovely. I think I'm going to bed," Hermione responded curtly, and left the common room for the girl's dormitories.

Over the next week, Krum sat with Hermione every day in the library. On Sunday, few words passed between them, Hermione still determined to ignore him. On Monday, Krum struck up a conversation, which Hermione begrudgingly continued, finding all the while that he wasn't as obnoxious as she imagined him to be. On Tuesday, they carried on an even longer conversation. Krum even succeeded in making Hermione laugh. Wednesday and Thursday they talked for hours on end. Hermione actually started those conversations, and wasn't even surprised that she was enjoying his company. On Friday, the sixth day after Krum had first come and sat with her, midconversation, he posed a question Hermione had genuinely not expected.

"So, Herm-o-ninny, do you haff any plans to go vith anyone to the Yule Ball?" Viktor inquired, genuinely interested.

Hermione was taken aback at his question, but none-the-less responded no, that she was not going with anyone.

"Vell, vould you like to come vith me?" Viktor asked.

How was she supposed to respond to this?

"Oh, Viktor, I don't… I don't know. I mean…"

How would Ron feel?

"I have to think about this. I'm sorry."

She bundled up her things and quickly rushed from the library. Hermione returned to the common room to find Ron sitting on the couch. She came over and sat next to him.

"Hey," she smiled.

He looked up at her, a little sadly.

"Hey."

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

"Oh, nothing. Viktor was going to ask that girl to the ball, is all," he sighed.

"Oh," Hermione stared at the fire. So she was the girl. Well, of course she was, he had spent the past week with her, and had just asked her to the Yule Ball.

"Do you know who it is?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"No, I didn't bother to ask," Ron responded sadly.

"Oh," Hermione sighed, relieved.

The pair remained quiet for a moment, staring at the carpet. Ron laid his head on Hermione's shoulder and curled his feet under him. Hermione stroked his hair softly.

She looked down at him sadly, realizing this was as close as she was going to get.


End file.
